Following on from last week’s piece, I have put together a suggested week of eating for the middle of championship or a run of competitive games. This particular week is again based around a 7pm Saturday evening game. Feel free to adapt the foods, timings etc., for your own game at whatever time it’s on.

The 24-48 hours leading into a game are mainly about loading up on carbohydrates to fuel the high intensity actions that are about to take place. What about the rest of the week or the days leading into the weekend?

Generally, training before a big game will be tapered down in terms of both intensity and volume. We might include some particularly intense actions to keep players ‘sharp’ but these will be short in duration and nowhere near the number expected in a game. We don’t require the same amount of fuel for these training sessions, or for the days we are not training. Gym sessions, which are ideally included throughout the entire season and adapted based on the playing schedule, will also decrease in intensity/volume as we near competitive games. This requires us to change our fuelling strategies to match the amount of work being done.

Overall energy intake (calories) should be adjusted based on how active we are each day. This doesn’t need to be calculated through a complex mathematical formula while carrying a weighing scales, as there are some simple strategies for adjusting based on the type and time of activity we are undertaking. Each of the three macronutrients play an important role in fuelling our bodies each day through a variety of different means. As carbohydrate is the key fuel for intense exercise, it becomes our main area for adjustment based on activity levels. Protein levels generally remain constant, regardless of activity levels, while fat is usually reduced around high intensity exercise (especially in the 3-4 hours beforehand).

The days we do no training at all, but are still somewhat active through general day-to-day activities, will not require as much overall energy intake (calories). As these days are low in high-intensity exercise, reducing carbohydrate is the simplest way of adjusting what we eat. There is no need to completely cut out carbohydrate (as it would be very difficult and impractical anyway) but reducing portions is a simple and effective way of tailoring fuel intake to meet energy demands. Increasing fat intake, slightly, is another option on low-activity days as fat is the primary fuel source for low-intensity activity.

Adjusting the intake of food types throughout the week is also a practical way of working towards body composition goals while still fuelling adequately for important games. Players that need to decrease body-fat, or lose weight in general, can eat just below (200-300 calories) the required amount of fuel for a given day in the early stages of a week then top up on carbohydrates towards the end. Ensuring they stay within calorie balance on the days leading into a game should finish each week in a calorie deficit of 600-900 calories. While weight/fat loss will be slow at this rate, it still allows players to perform at a high level while decreasing the chances of complications associated with chronic under-fuelling.

Above you can find a suggested week of eating that leads into a Saturday evening game. There is training on Tuesday and Thursday. A light gym session is suggested on either Monday or Wednesday (players own preference) with complete rest on Friday. The days are colour-coded based on carbohydrate intake. Green for high, orange for medium and red for low. Each day has 6 meal suggestions. This will generally be too many for most people so I suggest leaving out whichever option you prefer. There is plenty of room for adjustment in terms of the foods eaten. The recommended amounts will also require adjusting depending on size and activity levels of each individual.

 

If you would like any more information on this or have topics you would like covered in the future, contact me at fhsperformance@gmail.com.